The Snow Princess
by Reimagined
Summary: This is an Elsa & Anna story, and covers their lives as they grow up together, dealing with hardship and loss along the way. It is not, however, an "Elsanna" story (no incest). What if the king had to raise Elsa and Anna on his own? What if there were no trolls to fix Anna the night she was hurt? What if there was no kindly mountain man to take Anna to Elsa when she escapes?
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: The Picnic  
**

It was the summer before the princess's third birthday, and Princess Elsa was so happy she was practically bouncing off the walls. Walls that she would soon be leaving behind for the first time! Her parents had finally agreed to a picnic at the foot of the mountains. Mountains! Elsa wondered what it would feel like, to actually walk on the slopes that she had gazed at from her bedroom window for as long as she could remember. They weren't going to go high enough to get to the snows, which was too bad, but maybe if this trip went well she could convince her parents to go beyond the walls next time.

Grinning, she came to a stop at the beginning of a long hallway. At the end was a door, a large set of double doors that Elsa had never been allowed to pass. She didn't quite know what was on the other side, but her mom and dad always came through those doors when they wanted to see her, and occasionally servants too. Up and down the hall were suits of decorative armor, interspersed with paintings of very interesting people that Elsa wanted to meet and places she wanted to visit. Her mommy said that the real things were not around anymore or too far away, but she had also said that Elsa might never get to go outside at all and look how that turned out!

There was no one else around, and quietly Elsa slipped off one of the new gloves her daddy had given her to wear on the picnic and reached down to touch the floor. The area that her bare hand touched crystalized, and suddenly a thin layer of ice started spreading outwards, covering the floor in all directions. Elsa frowned, and the path of frost slowed its climb up the walls. It continued to creep down the hallway and the princess squealed in delight. She had been practicing the control of her creations in little ways, but this was the first time it had worked the way she wanted on such a scale.

When almost the whole hallway was lined, Elsa backed up and eyed the slippery surface she had created. With a cry she ran forward and leapt onto it as fast as she could. Her smooth slippers didn't catch on the ice at all and she immediately started sliding. "Here I come, world! _Princess Elsa is going outside!_" Suddenly the big wooden door at the end of the hall opened and her mother's shocked face was all Elsa needed to see to know she was in big trouble.

"Elsa! What are you doing! Get off that right now! _Nurse Gerda! Kai! In here, NOW!_" The queen rushed forward just as Elsa was realizing she had no way to stop at the end of the ice and scooped her up before she could crash. "How many times do I have to tell you, young lady! No ice in summer! In fact, I would be happiest if you could just avoid making things cold at all. Now look at this mess!" She gestured to the growing mass of frozen water that hadn't actually stopped expanding and had nearly reached the many lit torch sconces that lined every wall of this part of the castle. Elsa, already frightened by her mother's anger, burst into tears and hugged her close.

The queen was trying to calm her daughter down when the nurse and butler finally arrived in response to the queen's summons. Taken by surprise, they nearly slipped on the ice before they realized it was there. "There you are," the queen admonished. "You're supposed to be looking after her at all times! Look at this mess she created right under your noses. And it nearly reached the doors themselves! From now on, you will station one of your maids on this side of the door at all times, in addition to the guards on the other side. Now, summon the rest of the staff and get this cleaned up."

The two servants bowed in acknowledgement and apologized profusely for their failure. They quickly summoned more bodies to the hallway and with a practiced air everyone took a wall torch and started melting the ice. Every room in Elsa's wing was fitted with thin drainage slits instead of baseboards where the excess water flowed out to the spacious grounds. The front of the castle was an older design and directly abutted the kingdom's capital with only a small parade ground between the walls and the main entrance.

The rear of the keep was another story. High, sheer walls swept back into a forest, but the tree line was diligently kept back a hundred yards from the fortifications. All the way back to the base of the northern mountain range they went, enclosing an area so large that all the castle's servants and their families were housed completely within the walls. There was also room for many wooded areas and gardens, even a few small ponds. An entire world unto itself lived inside those stone confines. It was here that Elsa's runoff water spilled out of the castle and returned to the earth.

Since Elsa was still crying, the queen brought her back to her own room. She set her down on the bed and held one of her daughter's small hands in her own. "Elsa, darling, look at me. It's ok, I'm sorry I yelled at you. I'm not angry anymore, please calm down. I know you were excited about going out to day, and we're still going to go on our picnic, all right? We just need to talk about what you did for a minute." She wiped away one last tear from Elsa's face and let her touch linger. Elsa took a deep breath and nodded her understanding. The queen continued, "I cannot stress enough how important it is to hide abilities like what you did in the hall when we go outside. There are a _lot_ of people out there in the world, more than you can imagine. They will all be afraid of you because they don't understand, and they will try to hurt you. The best thing you can do is to stay calm and keep yourself under control. Always remember this, my child: _conceal, don't feel, don't let them know_."

The queen made Elsa repeat back the rhyme until she was satisfied that it was memorized, and then got up. "Ok little miss, how about it, do you want to go outside? Do you have everything that I laid out for you this morning? Here's your glove back, just please don't take it off again." She slid the last bit of covering onto her daughter and stood back. Despite the heat, Elsa was wearing a loose dress that extended down to her ankles and a light doublet with three quarters sleeves that almost met the gloves. She had brand new leather boots on that laced up halfway to the knee. The only exposed skin was her face and head, where her brilliant blonde hair hung loosely to her shoulders. Satisfied, the queen beckoned "come on love; let's go see your father at the north gate."

Elsa followed closely behind her mother, trying to take in everything at once. She was still a bit frightened by the warning her mother had impressed upon her, and every few minutes she whispered the mantra under her breath. _Conceal, don't feel, don't let them know._ But even before they had left the palace she was nearly overwhelmed by all the new things that she had never seen before. There were great ballrooms and chambers with royal decorations, vaulted ceilings and massive chandeliers, and seemingly endless windows with something new to be seen in every one. Finally they reached the north end of the palace and stepped out into the first garden Elsa had ever seen.

With a cry of delight she barely took the time to hug her father before rushing out to get a closer look at the rows upon rows of beautiful flowers. Even a pointed reminder from her mother to keep her gloves on couldn't dampen Elsa's spirits. She couldn't touch the flowers directly, but she could _smell_ them, and oh how delightful was that! Elsa had not a clue what any of them were called, but all the colors of the rainbow were on display, and she raced around trying to see everything. After a few minutes her parents called out to her to remind her that they still had a long way to go and the gardens would still be there when they got back. "Oh daddy, mommy I can't wait! Can I really come out back again after this trip? This one's my favorite!" She pointed to a cluster of white rose bushes secluded by a series of tall hedges, nestled into the western corner of the main garden.

Elsa's happiness was contagious and everyone in the party was laughing along with the young child. "Well," said the king, "Since you like it so much, I'll have the butler bring a fresh cutting to your room every week!" Elsa's shy delight brought a smile to the king's face that had been rarely seen since her birth. In high spirits they continued on through the servants' quarters and after a few more sightseeing stops, finally reached the gentle slopes of the north gate. For safety reasons they didn't go out beyond the gate, and quickly their lunch was laid out on the lawn.

Elsa was fascinated by everything she saw, it was a whole new world for her and almost too much to absorb at once. She gazed up in awe at the north mountains, they were so much closer than the faraway peaks that she could see from her own room! They were enormous giants in her eyes, many of them piercing the clouds with a reach so high that even on this midsummer day their summits were covered in snow. Getting a closer look at these mountains was exactly why she had begged her parents to go so far out for her first picnic. The white of the mountains pulled at Elsa's thoughts, and she fell silent, forgetting for a moment everything else around her.

"Elsa!" The sharp snap of her mother's voice broke her reverie, and with a shock Elsa realized that a faint patch of ice had begun to spread out from where she was sitting. "Remember what I said, for your own sake, child!" An upset Elsa scrambled up and escaped the star-shaped frozen grass for her mother's protective skirts. _Conceal, don't feel, don't let them know._ The words she had left behind at the castle came back to her, and she sought comfort in their repetition. _I must listen to mother, I must never forget again._ The queen gently brushed her daughter's hair until Elsa's breathing returned to normal. "We can fix this, Elsa. Don't worry, you didn't ruin today. We're still within the safety of the castle's walls. Don't worry, just do better next time."

The king looked at the frost sadly, then abruptly got up and covered it with an extra blanket. "There there, sweetie, it's gone now. See? No harm done. But how about next time we stick with just the gardens, ok? You can see the white flowers again there. This wall can wait until you're older, we'll come back then." Elsa nodded at that, she did want to smell the flowers more. The king continued, "Elsa. There was something else that your mother and I wanted to talk with you while we were out today. I know that you've wanted someone to play with recently, and you've been very, very good about being patient and waiting like we asked. And so we've decided to try to have a little brother or sister for you! How about that!"

Elsa positively yelped at the news. She would be getting a sister! Or a brother, but she preferred a sister. They could run in the gardens and play all day and laugh and hold hands and talk at night and… everything! This was _definitely_ the happiest day of her life. She looked at her mom smiling down at her and back at her dad, also with a big smile on his face. "Yes! A sister! I want a sister! Thank you mommy! Thank you daddy! When will she get here? I hope she hurries!"

The queen chuckled. "We promise to do our best, but don't blame me if a brother comes, that's on your father!" she teased with a wink. "And whoever it is won't be here until next year at the earliest, so you've got some waiting ahead. These things take time and we only just decided to try recently. Now run along and play and we'll go back after you're tired. Stay close though, and don't make a mess!" Elsa nodded sagely, though she didn't really understand why it would take so long to get her a sister. But under the supervision of the servants she ran off to play on the sloping hills anyway.

"Now dear," the queen continued, "isn't that good, she'll be so happy if we can bring her a sibling to play with. We've waited so long to try again, but like I said last night we can't keep avoiding the issue forever. There hasn't been any indication that Elsa's enchantment will happen again and even if it does we can deal with it just like we have hers. She's growing up to be such a pretty little thing, and the only problem is her occasional outbursts. In time I think that we can suppress even those."

The king was silent for a moment, but he took his wife's hand and gave her a reassuring squeeze. In truth, he was the one that had been more apprehensive about a second child. The queen had been trying to convince him for almost a year now. But really, it _was_ time for another heir. Especially if it turned out to be Elsa's crown prince. And even he had to admit that his fears about a repeat of the problem were a bit silly. "Yes dear," he agreed, "time cures all, and once she improves her control, Elsa will make a fine princess. We may even be able to host another public appearance for her one day." With a relaxing sigh, the loving pair leaned into each other and sat back to watch their daughter play under the summer sun.

But even an almost three year old runs out of energy eventually, and before the afternoon was quite over, the queen gathered the exhausted little girl in her arms and the servants began packing up for the walk back. Just in time too, because at that moment a strong, chilly wind began to blow over the castle wall. It briefly woke Elsa up, who smiled up at her mother and snuggled in close. "I love you mommy, and I love my sister too. Good night mommy." She yawned while leaning up to kiss the queen's cheek before falling completely asleep. Between the biting wind and her daughter's always cold lips, she had to suppress a small shiver. But the moment passed and everyone returned to the castle without further incident.

Nine months later, on a beautiful spring afternoon, Princess Anna was born. She was born healthy, brown-haired and completely normal. But the pregnancy had not been kind to the queen, and she had become more thin and frail as the due date approached despite the doctor and midwife's best efforts. Mere days after welcoming her new daughter into the world, she passed away without ever recovering. Little Elsa got the sister she wanted, but lost her mother in return.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: The Funeral**

The king stepped into Elsa's room, dressed all in black. "Go away!" she pouted from her bed where she was lying face down. "I want mommy! Bring her back, daddy!" With a sigh the king sat down on the bed beside her. His face was strained as he gently stroked the back of Elsa's head.

"I know you do, little one. I want mommy back too. But you have to listen to me. This is going to be a tough time for both of us, and your sister too, but mommy isn't going to be around anymore. I know that you're only three, but sometimes things happen and you have to grow up before you're ready. Can you do that for me, Elsa? Daddy needs you to be a big girl from now on, and so does baby Anna."

"I don't _want_ Anna anymore! I want mommy! Why did mommy go away when she came here? It's all Anna's fault!"

"No, no no no. Don't ever say that, Elsa! It's not Anna's fault. This is one of the big girl things you have to remember. Mommy is gone, but Anna is just a baby. She didn't do anything wrong, and she's smaller than you. She is going to need your help every day, how do you like that? Be strong, and help me take care of the baby, ok?"

Elsa finally turned over and snuggled in a little closer to her father. Her eyes were red from crying and she wasn't entirely calmed down. Even so, she considered what the king was saying, "Me? Anna needs _me?_" He nodded. Elsa was taken aback, no one had ever needed her before. This was a big deal! Maybe she would need to be a big girl for Anna, especially since Anna wouldn't have a mommy like Elsa did.

For the next few minutes both father and daughter were silent, both of them embracing the other. The pain was still sharp, and it would never go away completely, but at least they had each other. Suddenly Elsa spoke again. "Daddy. Um, you don't think mommy went away because I forgot our rhyme, right? I _do _remember it most of the time though! But not forgetting is hard, and sometimes I messed up. " She looked down shyly as she spoke, and her young voice was quavering.

"Hey now, chin up." The king lifted Elsa's gaze to his own. "Listen here. You are the _best_ daughter a daddy and mommy could ask for. And you do everything you can to keep your secret. And mommy knew that too, she told me so many times. The reason mommy is gone now has _nothing_ to do with you honey, nothing. Don't think like that. Now, how about we get up and go to the funeral? Put on your clothes, come on. And here, how about we bring your rose along? You can show mommy your white rose from the garden."

The king stood up and scooted Elsa over to the black dress and coverings that had been laid out by the servants this morning for her. After getting her dressed he took her hand, picked up the single rose from where it stood in a vase by Elsa's window, and together they went down to the rear courtyard. The castle was holding a private funeral for the body with only residents in attendance for Elsa's sake. Later on there would be a separate ceremony that townsfolk, visiting nobles, and distant relatives could attend to pay their respects to the departed monarch.

Elsa stood quietly as the casket was lowered into the earth, still holding tight onto her father's hand. She kept wiping away the tears with her free sleeve while clutching her rose in a gloved hand. After the services had been read, the king and Elsa stepped forward to say goodbye. Elsa clutched the flower close and whispered. "I won't forget again, mommy. I'll be a big girl, you'll see. Daddy says Anna will need me. So don't worry, wherever you are. Conceal, don't feel, don't let them know. I know it by heart now. Here you go." The white rose had frosted over from the close contact with Elsa, but she tossed it into the grave anyway.

After a silent conversation with his wife the king stepped back, and after a moment that seemed to stretch on forever, it was over. The king gave the entire castle the day off except for those needed to care for Anna and retired to his chambers. Alone in the rooms that he had shared with his queen since the day they were married, the feelings he'd kept bottled up for the last few days flowed freely. A spring shower had started outside, and the rain flowing down the window mirrored the king's tears.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: The Accident**

"Elsa, Elsa! Wake up, it's your birthday!" The bouncing ball of energy on the edge of Elsa's bed yelled happily. "Come on and play, big sister! There's not a minute to waste!" Anna was still in her nightgown, and her fiery red-brown hair was matted from sleep, but none of that had stopped the three year old from sneaking up to the west wing just after midnight to break the news.

"Whuh? Unh-uh. Not awake." Anna's antics had finally gotten through to the lump of sheets that was her sister. But Elsa was just as determined to stay in bed as Anna was to get her out of it. She squeezed her eyes shut and gripped the covers under her chin. However, her plan was somewhat undermined when she continued to argue. "If the sun isn't up, I'm not up. Go back to your room Anna."

Undeterred, Anna clambered on top of her sister and used her trump card. "Do you want to build a snowman?" She whispered in Elsa's ear. Immediately Elsa's eyes snapped open. She grinned up at the fiend on her back and not a minute later the two conspirators were sneaking down the halls together.

"I can't believe I let you talk me into this. I'm seven now, that's almost an adult! Well, almost halfway at least." Elsa kept up a steady stream of whispered chatter to hide her nervousness. "You know you're not supposed to play in the cold too. If anyone catches us, father will hear about it and then we'll really be in trouble. You're not even wearing shoes! Couldn't this have waited till morning?"

Anna stopped in front of one of the large reception ballrooms and hushed Elsa while she peered inside. "Clear! And no, it had to be now, sis. You're my bestest friend in the whole world and so we have to spend every minute of your birthday together. Plus, I don't mind the cold as much when I'm with you, I can take it. Now make it snow!" As she spoke, Anna laughed and spun in place in the middle of the slick floor, gesturing to the ceiling.

Elsa tried to remain outwardly reluctant, but in truth she wanted to spend as much fun time with Anna as she could too. After her birthday there wouldn't be many warm days left, and Anna had to stay indoors during the winter. Elsa wasn't sure exactly why, but Anna had a lot of trouble breathing in winter weather and sometimes she even fainted. It was a real shame, because snow was Anna's favorite. Well, at least Elsa could solve that problem!

With a grand gesture, Elsa waved her arms over her head and reached out to the moisture in the air. She knew instinctively how to do it, but there was no way to put into words exactly what she did. Nevertheless, a miniature cloud started forming in the rafters, spreading from wall to wall. Within minutes, a soft blanket of snow was beginning to build up in the middle of the room. Anna cheered and dashed around trying to catch flakes on her tongue.

With a laugh Elsa dove in after her, creating swirling flurries wherever she went. The snow seemed to dance around the girls, enveloping them in their own private winter wonderland. Elsa had just started to gather a body for the snowman when a large, sloppy snowball buried itself in the back of her head with a splat. She whirled around just in time for Anna's follow up to smack her right in the face. "Ooph. Why you little stinker! You'll pay for that, missy!" Elsa wiped her eyes clear and conjured some several snowballs to return fire, with a twist. Whenever her snowballs hit something, they expanded into a miniature snow drift!

Anna giggled madly as she dodged each toss from Elsa. With mounds of packed snow all around her, she peeked out from her new cover and stuck out her tongue. "Heehee, try to hit me now! Here, I'll make it easy." And with that she climbed on top of one of the lumps and started jumping from one to another. Elsa decided to play along and started creating new drifts in front of Anna, each one higher than the last. Like climbing a very odd staircase, Anna leapt again and again without pause.

Suddenly Elsa was having trouble keeping up and tried to warn Anna to stop, but her sister wasn't listening. Elsa was frantically trying to zap new snow into existence fast enough to catch Anna's leaps of faith when it happened. She was too late on her spell and Anna started to fall before it reached the ground under her. Everything seemed to slow down in Elsa's eyes, but for a split second fear froze her in place. Then the burst of magic hit the younger princess on the way down and violently threw her backwards into the last pillar of snow. She hit the packed embankment and bounced off, landing on the ground. "_NOOOO! ANNA!_" Elsa screamed and ran forward.

Her sister was completely still, her arms and legs akimbo like a broken doll. In tears Elsa turned the unconscious Anna over to check her head. There was a blue mark on the top of her forehead where the power had impacted. Actually, was it growing larger? This was bad, very bad. Elsa had been growing in strength lately but she had no idea how to undo anything she did, if she tried it tended to just make the problem worse. This was beyond her. Carefully she laid Anna down and sprinted to the door. "_HELP! ANYONE! HELLLLP! It's Princess Anna!"_ she cried over and over at the top of her lungs.

The first guard arrived within a minute, but it seemed like an hour to Elsa. When he rounded the corner she sank to her knees in relief. Too upset to offer an explanation for the state of the ballroom, Elsa wordlessly pointed to Anna's body and cried. With a shout the guard raised the alarm and set about waking the rest of the castle. Soon the chamber was bustling with sleepy servants and Anna was being moved to her bed while the doctor was summoned. In the middle of the chaos Elsa was escorted back to her own room and not allowed to leave until the king gave permission.

The king himself was devastated. He had been roused in the middle of the night to find one of his daughters in a coma, and it had been caused by his other daughter. While Anna was still being moved he canceled all of his audiences for the next three days and barred access to the castle for all non-residents. Then he took up a position by the bed in her room and commanded all doctors to work around the clock to cure her.

Elsa had stayed up as long as she could stand, but no news had come. Sleep was no respite however, her dreams were filled with nightmares, each worse than the last. In one, Anna was crying, pleading for Elsa to stop. But she couldn't, her hands just kept choking her sister and freezing her pained expression. Elsa tossed and turned, caught in the nightmare's grip. Finally, in the middle of Anna being lowered into their mother's grave, Elsa bolted upright. The sun had only just cleared the horizon, but with the way her heart was pounding there was no way she was going back to sleep.

"Oh Anna, Anna. What have I done! Please be awake, please be ok." She prayed to herself, head in her hands. Steeling herself, Elsa got up and slipped on the first dress she could find. Grabbing her gloves from the table she left to go in search of her sister. Or she tried to, but the door was locked from the outside. That's odd, she thought. What was happening out there? She raised her hand and knocked firmly on her own room's door.

"Is that you, Princess Elsa?" A gruff voice answered from the other side. "I'm sorry to have to do this, but I'm going to have to ask you to stay inside until further notice. We've been ordered by the king to guard you until he has the time to make a more permanent decision."

Locked in? Until further notice? That's crazy! Her father couldn't possibly think that anything that happened last night was on purpose, could he? Now it was even more important for her to check on Anna and to explain everything to her father. "Please, sir, I need to go. I don't even know what's happened to my sister. I'm afraid and I want to see daddy. You have to let me out! _Let me out!_" Her voice cracked with emotion as she pulled on the handle and beat on the door to no avail. The guard kept repeating his orders over and over, and eventually he stopped talking altogether.

Elsa slid down to her knees in frustration, crying for what seemed to her like the hundredth time in a day. "Why? Why is this happening?" She sobbed to herself. "It's my birthday, everyone is supposed to be _happy_! What did I do wrong, I didn't mean it!" But she was a good girl, wasn't she? Didn't she love her family more than anything in the world? Why did they keep getting hurt? First mommy, and now Anna. _Mommy_. That was it. She had forgotten her lesson. Gods, why was she _so weak_. Every time Anna wanted to play she had to ask just _once_ and Elsa would immediately forget her duty. Now she had half killed her sister! Well, never again. She would practice over and over until it was _impossible_ to slip up again. Conceal, don't feel, don't let them know. _Conceal, don't feel, don't let them know._

For three days Elsa saw not a soul. Someone was slipping meals in and out of her prison, but they must have done it only when she was asleep. Not that she wanted it any other way. A cloud hung over her, and most of the time she seemed to do nothing but stare out the window at the falling leaves. They were the color of her sister's hair, but the oncoming winter was dropping them one by one to lie broken on the ground. With every leaf that fell, Elsa burned her mantra into memory another time. By the time the door opened, it was all she thought about.

On the fourth day the king entered the room, and his face was drawn and haggard. Elsa looked up with pleading eyes, but there was no sympathy left in him. Even though he was still a relatively young king, his hair had started to grey and there were heavy circles under his eyes. "Elsa." His voice was hoarse and deadly soft. "Don't speak until I'm finished. Anna is not dead, but she has not stirred since that night and the doctor has not been able to wake her from her sleep. But what you've done, I cannot forgive. Three years ago, I thought the world had ended. However, in my darkest hour, I was blessed with a ray of hope. Anna is a perfect daughter, and she was growing up to be the sweetest, happiest, most selfless person in the world.

"And now she lies so still that the doctor says it might be unnatural. The damage could be so bad that even if she opens her eyes, she might not know her own father, she might not be able to _speak_! _How could you?_ Was worrying your mother to death not enough for you? Did your curse have to claim Anna's life as well? _Will there be anyone left when you're satisfied!_"

Elsa was frozen by the tirade her father had unleashed upon her. Her mother's death was her own fault? Anna was in a coma because of her? She was a curse on the family? Father had never spoken to her like that, and a small voice inside her head was trying to blame it on the stress, the heat of the moment, his obvious lack of sleep. But really, it all made sense. Hadn't she failed to keep her promise and used her magic around Anna? Hadn't she messed up so many times before, leaving it up to mother's words to remind her to stay hidden? And worst of all, even now she knew she wasn't in control. Without the gloves she was wearing, anything she touched would be coated in ice in minutes. Maybe she _was_ cursed.

The silence stretched on, both father and daughter staring at each other, and every moment was an hour for Elsa. Finally, she broke the quiet with a single word. "Sorry."

"Sorry? _Sorry?_ Sorry's not good enough anymore, Elsa. You nearly killed Anna, and I'm not going to give you the chance to slip up again and do even more harm. As of today, you are _forbidden_ from ever leaving the west wing, for as long as I live. All the exits will be guarded, even at night, so don't even _think_ about trying to sneak out again. Anna will be kept as far away from your curse as possible, and so will the rest of my people. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go take care of _my daughter_. Something that you've proven yourself incapable of."

As he turned to leave, the king softened his expression slightly. "Elsa. I still remember who you used to be, even if you've never been completely well. But we've tried so much to cure you, and it just keeps getting worse. It's past time to admit the truth, and I can't have a wolf running loose in my flock. Trust me, this is for the best." After the door closed, it was a long time until the barely seven year old princess could do anything but cry.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: The Rescue Part 1**

Elsa sat idly at her open window and watched the snow fall gently over the kingdom. Her tenth birthday had come and gone without much notice. Only faithful old Gerda had changed her daily routine, bringing a small cake up to Elsa's room. It was a small gesture, but much appreciated. Well, her father had also summoned her to the throne room, but _that_ was a meeting that she'd sooner forget. Ever since the accident they hadn't been able to look each other in the eye, and feeble attempts at conversation usually trailed off into nothingness within minutes. He had awkwardly congratulated her on the milestone, and then immediately ruined it by asking if her control had gotten better. _So I'm not allowed to go even one day without being reminded about _that_? Will this life ever change?_

She supposed it wouldn't. Everyone had settled into a pattern over the last three years. Elsa herself never left the apartments designated for her use, and even the servants avoided spending any more time than needed in her company. In fact, other than a short session with a tutor each week to review her self-study, Elsa rarely talked to anyone at all. Not that she wanted to, anyway. By now there was no denying it, her powers were growing stronger, but her control wasn't keeping pace. Any object she held barehanded frosted over in minutes, and of late she had stopped taking off the gloves even to sleep. Too much human contact would inevitably cause problems, and Elsa had enough of those already.

As far as she could tell, the rest of the castle had shut down with her. People rarely passed under her windows, servants or not, and the main gates were almost always shut to the public. The keep was in a perpetual state of grief, reflecting the mood of its king. Her father still cared for the wellbeing of the kingdom, and he had excellent councilors that managed the details with exquisite care, but the castle was no longer the center of attention. Townsfolk that had once pointed to the closed gates and gossiped endlessly now passed by without sparing a glance for the imposing oaken doors.

_Even if I can never learn to conceal this curse,_ she thought, _maybe everyone else will return to normal some day._ Everything depended on Anna, if only someone could find a way to wake her up. Elsa hadn't seen her sister since her isolation began, but Gerda had described her strange state to Elsa several times. Anna was breathing, but she never spoke or opened her eyes, and her mouth was closed to food and drink. Despite this, she did not waste away and even seemed to grow older at a relatively normal rate. It was plain to everyone that she was under a spell, and just as plain whose fault it was, Elsa thought bitterly.

Her father's anger had been monstrous. Once it became clear that Anna was not simply unconscious, he had stormed up to the west wing and demanded that Elsa release her sister from her grasp. Elsa had been petrified, unable to respond except by shaking her head repeatedly. How could she lift the enchantment when she didn't even know how it had happened in the first place? She didn't know how _any_ of her powers worked, and there was no one to ask. But he just kept getting more and more upset, and finally he went so far as to strike her with his open hand, knocking Elsa to the ground as he slammed the door shut in his wake.

Her hand unconsciously touched the long-healed cheek. In all fairness, he _had_ come back to apologize eventually. She was still his daughter, and in a calmer mood he knelt and made amends. But in a way that was worse than the anger. Because no matter how much she wanted to, no matter how eloquently her father asked, she didn't know how to reverse any of her magics, not even the smallest icicle. In tears she had turned him away empty-handed, unable to mend her own broken family. The king had returned many times without result, but eventually even he had given up hope in her. Instead he spent his time by Anna's side, holding her hand and speaking gently to her.

Elsa herself spent almost every moment of the day thinking about her little sister. Even in her dreams, Anna was there, laughing and begging Elsa to come and play. It had gotten so bad that Elsa seemed to feel her even when she was awake. Whenever her thoughts wandered, she always wound up facing the same direction, staring through the walls towards Anna's room. It was like a tiny cord tied to the back of her mind, always twisting Elsa back around if she turned away.

Suddenly Elsa became aware of a commotion in the courtyard down below. She turned away from the wall and looked out. One of the gates was actually opened! A small party of riders on horseback entered the parade grounds, followed by a large coach pulled by two more horses. The light snow had stopped falling, giving Elsa a clear view of the newcomers. Their clothes seemed foreign, and she didn't recognize any of their faces except for one. The man at the head of the group was one of Anna's doctors, but he often traveled abroad on the king's orders in search of an exotic cure for her condition. Elsa had never liked him very much, he had a weasely face and greasy hair. As she watched, they dismounted and handed off their horses to the groomsman.

Elsa lost sight of them when they entered the castle, but in a flash she was peeking out through the interior doors that connected her wing to the main entrance. The new arrivals were in the middle of a conversation with her father, but she was able to overhear one of one of them who was speaking loudly. "-was fine for the journey north, but the weather can only get worse from here on out. I would strongly recommend we begin immediately, even before tonight if possible." The king said something in reply, too low for Elsa to understand. "No, my liege. There is no guarantee. But this treatment comes with the _strongest_ recommendations and personally-" He was cut off as a far off door closed behind the talkers.

Elsa listened for several more minutes, but there was nothing more to hear. She returned to her room, trying to guess what the doctor had planned. It must be something to do with Anna. _But what?_ Why did the weather matter, there was no way her father would expose Anna to the elements, especially at this time of year. Anna had always been weak to winter temperatures, and prone to collapsing if it was cold enough. Given her already weak condition, sending her outside would be crazy! Or maybe it was just another bottle of unknown substance with supposedly magical properties. Elsa didn't think much of the failed "remedies" that the doctors had tried in the past, but Gerda was adamant that it was the proper way to break an enchantment and she always kept Elsa informed when something new was going to be tried.

But Gerda was nowhere to be found. Strange. Everything about today was very strange. Elsa was totally concentrated on Anna and staring through the wall towards her when she noticed it. The vague awareness in the back of her head that she had come to think of as a reflection of Anna had changed. It felt different, almost… anxious? Something was definitely going on that shouldn't be. But she couldn't leave to find out. Elsa froze, unable to overcome her fear. Not just of her father, but fear of exposing herself, of leaving what had become her sanctuary and becoming the center of attention. _Conceal._ And really, it could just be nothing, right? She was worried, so she had imagined that the "Anna" in her head was worried. After all, it's not like Anna was actually anywhere but asleep in her bed! _Don't feel._

Having talked herself out of calling for Gerda, Elsa forced herself to sit down and open a book. _Don't let it show._ She wasn't truly taking in what was written on the pages, but she turned them anyway. However, the nagging doubt in her mind wouldn't go away completely. As the hours passed, dark clouds gathered on the horizon, mimicking Elsa's mood. Suddenly she realized that the tenuous string mentally pulling her to Anna's room had moved. It wasn't nudging her towards the east wall anymore, it was coming from out the window! In the last few years that had _definitely_ not happened before.

Before she knew it Elsa was peeking out the window with a horrified expression on her face. That _was_ Anna, being pulled from a litter into the carriage that had arrived earlier. What was her father thinking, didn't he see those clouds on the horizon? Elsa's panic rose, and the sky seemed to rumble in response. But the men working outside only looked up for a second and moved a little faster in their work. Within minutes they had finished loading their supplies and mounted up. The skinny doctor came into view next to her father and bowed. He seemed to promise something, although they were too far away to hear, and with a few last words he climbed onto the box next to the driver. In a flash and a crack of the whip they were off, leaving through the main gate and taking Elsa's last hope with them.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: The Rescue Part 2**

A distressed Elsa paced her room, back and forth. She felt caged, truly trapped for the first time in her long isolation. What was she going to do? She couldn't go to her father, he was the one that had sent Anna away in the first place! And how could he do that, didn't he love her? Didn't he care for her wellbeing? Biting on her gloves, she glanced outside. Almost as soon as the caravan had left, snow had started to fall. It arrived from the west, sweeping over the water and bringing harsh, gusting winds with it. Conditions were getting worse by the minute, soon the castle would be drowned in a violent blizzard. Elsa could feel her awareness of Anna moving in the storm, swirling and spinning like a tiny leaf, but always moving a little farther and farther away.

Then it stopped. Elsa bolted to the window and peered out. Yes, Anna was definitely not moving south anymore. But Elsa couldn't even see beyond the castle walls in the darkness that the fierce blizzard had created. An overwhelming fear for her sister's safety gripped Elsa, and she could think of nothing else. Something snapped within her, and before she knew it her gloves were on the floor and she was climbing out of her window. The sill immediately froze, although with the snow that had been blowing through already, it was hardly noticeable. Elsa thought for a second and _reached_ out to the air around her. Within seconds, a ladder-like formation of ice had started to grow down and out from her perch. It shook wildly in the wind even after attaching itself to the ground, but Elsa paid no heed to her own safety and scrambled down as fast as she could.

A good thing too, because only seconds after her feet were on the ground, the ice ladder tore away from the wall and crashed to the ground. It shattered into a thousand pieces, and Elsa quickly turned away from the flying debris, hiding behind her cloak. However, one chunk still scrapped across her cheek, leaving a long, shallow cut that barely had time to bleed before freezing shut. Unfazed, Elsa got up and ran to the gate. There were no guards still outside to stop her, but the heavy crossbar was far too much for her to handle.

"NO!" She cried helplessly while pounding her fists against the immovable oaken paneling. "_I need to get to Anna!_" Suddenly with a loud crash and a sharp splintering sound, something slammed into the wood right beside her. It was a giant icicle, buried point first halfway into the supposedly solid barrier. Stepping back, she considered the bizarre sight. And then, with a furrow of concentration, she created another icicle, consciously this time. It floated just above her hand, seemingly suspended in the air. The wind picked up, whipping her hair all around as it bore down on the gates. With a shout, Elsa pulled back and made a throwing motion with her hand. The icicle _leapt_ into the wind and _crunched_ into the old oak right next to the first.

"Sorry father, you're going to need to buy a new door!" she cried as the icicles started forming faster and faster. Each missile penetrated the wood a little more, splitting it and tearing it apart. Finally a particularly large one flew right through the lacerated paneling, opening a hole big enough for a small girl. Elsa squirmed through and tried to orient herself. She had never been outside the walls in this direction, but in the storm she couldn't find any of the landmarks that she normally saw from her room. Without any other options, she decided to just aim in the direction of Anna's mental nudge and walk.

There wasn't a soul to be seen still outside in the middle of one of the worst blizzards in recent memory except for the tiny ten year old girl. Anna still seemed to be miles away, but Elsa just focused on putting one foot in front of the next, one step at a time. It wasn't the cold that slowed her down, really, it was the _wind._ It swirled and gusted in every direction, pushing her forward in one moment and pulling her back the next. Along with the several inches of snow that was quickly accumulating around her feet, she wasn't able to move any faster than a deliberate walk. Frustrated with her pace and frantic to reach her destination, Elsa conjured up a pair of snow shoes made of ice and a long, thin icicle to use as a walking stick. Encouraged by her ingenuity, she hurried on as fast as she could.

It was impossible to say how long it took Elsa to reach Anna. She was trotting as quickly as the wind allowed, but her awareness of Anna seemed to be fading no matter how far she went. In fact, was it even as strong now as it had been when she started? Did that mean she was actually headed in the wrong direction? Elsa was almost ready to break down in despair when a large shadow emerged from of the darkness in front of her. It was the carriage! _I made it! Oh Anna, please be alive!_ Elsa thought desperately. _But what happened to everyone else?_

The coach was turned back towards the town, a last ditch effort to return to shelter after getting caught out in the storm. The horses that had been pulling it were dead, covered in ice and unable to free themselves from their harnesses even in their last moments. On her approach, Elsa tripped over a huge lump of snow. Glancing behind her, she realized that she had tripped over one of the men accompanying the doctor, his face frozen and blue in death. Screaming, Elsa backed away from the body and into another lump. Suddenly she was aware of several more bumps in the snow, horseless riders that had tried until their last breath to reach safety after their mounts had spooked and run away in terror.

Elsa puked onto the snow at the sight of so much death, unable to stop the instinctive reaction. Breathing heavily but still determined, she pulled herself up and stepped carefully the rest of the way to the coach. The doctor was lying next to the door, his icy fingers clawing at the handle that he hadn't managed to open before freezing. Elsa swallowed nervously and reached out to push his arm aside. It snapped off at the elbow and she spun away, nearly throwing up again. After a moment, she reached for the latch and got inside the cabin at last.

The interior was warmer than outside, but not by much. At least it was protected from the wind. Immediately Elsa spotted Anna's body and rushed to her sister's side. Anna was not in good shape. Her lips were blue and skin was cold to the touch. _She's not breathing_. Elsa realized. _Oh nonononono please say I'm not too late. ANNA!_ She threw herself onto Anna and cried, hugging her close. _Please don't be dead Anna, don't be dead. Not you too._ Abruptly Elsa remembered that familiar nudge. _I can still feel her! It's faint, but she's alive! Quickly, I have to make her breathe. Think Elsa, think!_

Out of desperation she leaned in close to Anna's face and brought their lips together. She exhaled into her sister's open mouth and then slowly inhaled. At first nothing happened, but then Elsa felt an odd flutter inside herself. And she felt her awareness of Anna grow a tiny bit. Emboldened, she bent back down and continued, even going so far as to squeeze Anna's nose shut while passing on as much of her own breathing as she could. She was clumsy and nervous, but little by little she felt Anna getting stronger, although oddly it seemed like she was fading from Elsa's thoughts at the same time.

Finally, miraculously, Anna jerked and gasped on her own, inhaling a deep breath of precious air. Her eyes fluttered and opened for a moment, then shut again. But she kept breathing. "_OH ANNA!_" Elsa wept with joy, "You're alive! You're back! Oh gods Anna I thought I had lost you forever. I love you so much, so so much! Can you hear me? Anna?" But she didn't answer. Elsa noticed that Anna's breathing had become rapid and shallow, and she was shivering now. "No! Don't you do this now, not after everything we've been through! Hang in there, Anna, I'll bring you home!"

With some effort, Elsa managed to pull Anna out of the carriage. Her sister had kept growing to an extent during her enchantment, but luckily for Elsa the six year old was still small for her age. Even so Anna was almost more than she could carry, and there was no way she had the strength to bring her all the way back to the castle. After some thought, she fashioned a small ice sled and tore off a long strip of her cloak, then froze the ends into the sled to make a handle. She wrapped the rest of her cloak around Anna and rolled her sister onto the makeshift sledge and pulled her legs in close. After remaking the ice shoes and securing the strap around her chest, Elsa set off back up the road.

If getting to the carriage had taken a long time, getting back took at least twice as long. Elsa was pulling extra weight and didn't have the advantage of a mental compass to guide her. The wind was still blowing and snow was still coming down in torrents, but luckily the storm had eased up slightly since her desperate journey had begun. She was able to see far enough ahead of her to recognize the trees on either side of the road and stay between them. All the same, Elsa was starting to panic when the first lights of the town poked through the darkness. She had checked on Anna as much as she could on the way back, and she still seemed to be breathing, but her condition was getting worse. She was barely shivering now, and Elsa knew that she didn't have long to get her inside and warm. Worst of all, Elsa's sense of Anna had faded completely when Anna had first woken up and didn't seem to be coming back.

But the friendly light gave Elsa a fresh burst of energy, and for a moment her nightmare scenarios were forgotten. "We did it Anna! Look, it's a house! Come on, come on!" She stepped up the speed and hurried to the precious beacon of habitation and hope. At last she lurched to a halt and raised her small fist to bang on the door with the last of her strength. "Open up! Please, I beg you, open the door!" she cried. For a moment, there was no response. Then the sound of a few hurried footsteps were heard and a motherly-looking woman opened the door.

"Oh gods have mercy it _was_ someone knocking! You poor thing, how in the world did you get stuck outside in this storm? And without even a coat? Get inside right now you must be chilled to the bone!"

But Elsa just moved to the side by a step. "No, not me. It's my sister." She gestured behind her to the makeshift sled and the goodwife's hands went up in shock again. Acting swiftly she scooped up Anna and carried her into the cottage. In a moment of clarity, Elsa pushed the ice sledge around the corner and behind a pile of firewood where it wouldn't be seen. Then she stumbled through the door and collapsed wearily right on the floor.

Not a moment later a strong pair of arms picked Elsa up and deposited her on a bench by the fire. "Annnd there you go. It's important to get warm while awake if you can, little miss." The speaker was a well-muscled young man, dressed in warm furs and smiling down at Elsa through a thick beard. "Don't you worry about the other one, my mother's taking care of her over there right now. You need to worry about yourself, your skin is freezing cold right now!" He frowned at the last, because Elsa was wearing nothing but a torn dress and long boots. Her skin was like ice, but she wasn't shivering or covered in goosebumps, and she didn't have anything that looked frostbitten.

Elsa was absolutely exhausted but her eyes flew open when her rescuer trailed off. "Oh, no I'm fine, really! Really. Um, I know this sounds crazy, but it's very important. Can you go to the castle and tell the guards that the princesses are here? I would go myself, but" she stifled a huge yawn, "I don't think I could take another step right now without" another yawn, "falling over. Oh, um, there should be a ring in the cloak that my sister was wrapped in, if you don't believe me."

"Back outside again?! No way am I letting you back out in that cold. Go lie down on my bed over there, and we'll take care of everything." Elsa nodded and the moment her head touched the pillow she was out. The man made sure she was staying put and walked over to his mother. "Did you hear what she said, mother? The princesses! No one has seen a hair of Anna for three years, and I don't think _anyone_ has ever met Elsa in person. She must have gone snow-crazy. Especially with what she's wearing! I'm surprised she's still alive, really."

But his mother pursed her lips and looked thoughtful. "It's definitely crazy, but look at what this one is wearing underneath these cloaks. That's real silk, and while the other one has run her dress to rags, I'll be damned if it wasn't more than what me 'n you can afford before it got ruined. Plus they look about the right age for what she says. Let's check that pocket." But when she reached into the cloak beside Anna her expression changed. Wordlessly she drew out a perfect silver ring with a ruby set in the top. Carefully engraved on each side of the stone were the king's personal seal and the realm's coat of arms. Mother and son both stared at each other in amazement. "I think you'd better get your heavy coat, son."

When Elsa awoke in the early morning she was in her own bed. For a moment she was confused and disoriented. _Was it all a bad dream?_ But then the servant by the door noticed her awake and scurried away with a start. She looked around and saw the window sill coated in ice and cracked where it had torn away from the wall as her ladder fell. _I guess they brought me back here while I was still asleep. I hope that nice man and woman get a reward. Where's Anna? Oh no no no, I still can't feel her. What happened to her? Please be ok Anna, please be ok._ Elsa sprinted to the dresser to find a change of clothes, but she had only just barely put them on when a guardsman entered the room.

"Come with me." Was all he said. Elsa obediently followed him, but her mind was racing. _Where are we going? This isn't the way to Anna's room, it's the main throne room. What does father want with me now?_ The guard didn't offer any hints, but his silence only increased Elsa's puzzlement. It was only a short walk from the exit of the west wing to the throne room, and before she could speculate any more, he was knocking on the door and announcing her name.

"You may enter, Elsa." Her father said in a grave voice. He wasn't on his throne, but rather standing alone in the middle of the room. His expression was pained and he looked incredibly tired. However, he was holding the royal scepter and gestured for Elsa to kneel in front of him. After she had done so, all he said was "Elsa, _what have you done?_" She started to speak but he interrupted.

"Enough! Oh gods what have I done to deserve such a fate. How could you Elsa? I thought we had cured you, or at least contained it. But you've betrayed my trust once again. What has Anna ever done to you?"

"I don't understand, father." Elsa had no idea how to respond to this sudden ambush.

"So you still claim ignorance? Well let me spell it out. Anna is in a coma, _again_. She went into shock from the extreme cold yesterday. Ten men are _dead_, as well as one of my trusted doctors. I had finally found a cure for Anna's condition, and the moment she's sent away to begin treatment in the South, an extreme blizzard appears out of a clear sky, _you_ break your promise and escape your rooms, then go after my daughter and _murder_ eleven people along the way. And that's not even getting into the destruction of the keep wall and castle gate."

"No! No that's not how it was! That's insane. I would never hu-" Her voice was pained as she pleaded with her father to understand. How could he think that she would willingly endanger Anna? The storm was her fault? There's no way! Tears stung her eyes when he interrupted again.

"Never hurt who? The sister that you've put on the edge of death twice now? You have a casual disregard for the value of human life, Elsa, and I don't know what to do with you. That storm almost killed a lot more people, but luckily the townspeople were able to get inside before the worst of it struck. There was supposed to be _no more snow_ yesterday until you started playing god with the weather. It was _your_ fault. And it's also your fault that your sister is once again half _frozen_ and unconscious. If she is still under that damnable spell of yours when she wakes this time, I promise you that your blood will not save you from my fury anymore,_ witch_."

Elsa flinched as if struck. Witch? Her own father thought she was a witch? What could have possessed him to act like this? Didn't she bring Anna back by herself from certain death? If she had been out in that storm for one more min- The storm. His words sunk in. No snow. There wasn't supposed to be any snow. She _must_ have been the one to bring in that storm, without meaning to. And all those men had died… because of her? Anna was freezing to death, and Elsa was the one with ice magic that she couldn't control. Gods, he was right. He was always right. She couldn't control herself and she probably never would. No one was safe around her, not even Anna. She _was_ a menace. She _was_ a… a witch. With tears flowing down her cheeks she replied in a quavering voice, "Yes, father. I understand. Please give me another chance. From now on I'll listen to everything you have to say. I won't leave my rooms again. I'll learn how to be a good girl, I promise! I can do it: _Conceal, don't feel, don't let them know._"

"Your majesty!" interrupted a frantic guard as he burst into the room. "She's awake!"


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: Waking Up**

Anna's eyes opened to the rays of a new dawn peeking in through the east window. With a yawn she sat up and began her morning routine. She flexed her fingers and curled her toes, checked her wrists and ankles, and stretched out her arms and legs. _Awesome! Not much pain at all today, and great weather too! I think I might be able to get across the room! Let's do it, girl._ Carefully she swung her legs out from the bed and took a deep breath. With care she dropped her feet to the floor and eased her weight onto them. Balancing against the bed, she pushed herself up straight with only a slight wobble. _First step first_. She reminded herself as she slowly shuffled her left leg forward.

A few minutes later she was clutching her dresser to catch her breath. Suppressing a grimace of pain, she surveyed her progress. _That has to be 20 feet. A new record! WOOHOO!_ A fist pump turned into a wince as her back spasmed. She muttered to herself, "Ok, so we're not there yet. That's fine. They said you would have trouble even lifting a single arm this soon into the process! Now, what would Gerda think if I was already dressed when she got here. It'll be the perfect surprise!" Supporting herself with one arm braced against the open doors, Anna picked out a nice outfit and wrapped it all up into a ball before starting back across the suddenly very large open floor space between her and her bed.

Only a few months had passed since she first woke up, much to the delight of the rest of the castle. Her mind had been nearly as frozen as her body, and it moved sluggishly, trying to remember how to communicate with others. She had been asleep so long that waking up was like being born again as a baby. It was a week until she had been able to eat and drink without help. But the cobwebs cleared in time, and before long Anna was back to her normal bubbly self. Mentally, that is. Her body was another story.

In the three years she had lain immobile under a spell, her muscles had atrophied and wasted away. The problem had been compounded by her trip through the snow, where the hypothermia had reached almost every part of her body. In fact, she had overheard the doctors telling her father that simply still being alive after that much exposure was a miracle, and in all likelihood she would lose the use of most of her extremities forever. Well, either she was extraordinarily lucky or they didn't know what they were talking about, because most of the effects of the cold had already faded and Anna had made it a personal goal to be fully recovered within six months.

Right now that felt a little too optimistic, but Anna was still an optimistic young girl and she never gave up before the end. With a sigh, Anna let herself fall back onto the bed to rest before putting on the clean dress. Sometimes it was hard to believe that everything she had been through was real, that she wasn't going to wake up one morning back to normal. Her memory of the past was incomplete and fuzzy, and the last three years were essentially an empty void. Trying to remember anything from that time was an exercise in frustration, and Anna had resolved to deal with her physical problems first. If nothing else, she needed to leave this room!

Her father hadn't changed _anything_ while she was asleep, and the same old walls and decorations day after day were beginning to drive Anna stir crazy. She wanted to run and jump and play and explore, to talk to people and meet new friends and have conversations. The snows were starting to melt, and with spring would come Anna's seventh birthday. _And then by the time summer comes I should be ready to go outside and enjoy it!_ She was still idly thinking and pulling on her clothes when Gerda finally arrived with breakfast. She was certainly shocked at seeing Anna already changing, and her motherly instinct made her warn Anna about pushing herself too hard when she wasn't ready. But Anna could see a twinkle in her eyes, and she was clearly proud of what Anna had managed to do.

Shortly after Gerda had cleared away the breakfast dishes and finished Anna's hair, her father arrived. "Daddy!" Anna exclaimed and waved him over for a hug.

"There's my little angel!" he smiled as he crossed the room. "Already up and dressed, too. How're you feeling today?"

"Great! I walked all the way over there," she pointed to the dresser, "before Gerda even got here this morning. So, daddy, do you think I could leave the room soon? I can manage it, I promise!"

Her father frowned in thought at Anna's sudden request. "Well, let's not be too hasty. I don't want you to end up back in bed with a major re-injury." His expression softened in response to her instantly dejected expression. "Now now, I wasn't finished yet. Let's not be too hasty, _but_ I think that you've certainly shown plenty of progress. So, starting next week, you're allowed to go anywhere on this floor of the keep as long as you keep Gerda with you! After a few weeks of that we'll take another look at the rules."

"_YAY!_ I love you daddy! I can't wait to explore, thank you thank you thank you!" Anna grinned from ear to ear and leaned over to wrap the king in a loving embrace. He returned the gesture and spoke again.

"Also, that's not the only thing I wanted to talk with you about, Anna. You've done incredibly well on your recovery, especially with your memory, and I think it's time that you started your schooling." Anna groaned and flopped back onto her pillow with a sigh. "Oh I don't think it'll be quite that bad, young lady. You're almost seven now and the sooner we get you caught up the better. The tutors I've hired are only the best, and you'll learn a lot. Being a princess requires more than running and playing all day! I bet you'll even have some fun if you give it a chance."

Anna grumbled, but she knew that she had to do it. Suddenly she had a new thought. "Um, if I do go to the tutors, does that mean that Elsa will be there? I haven't seen her at all since I woke up!"

Her father tried to keep his face neutral. He had been trying to avoid this issue until Anna was completely recovered. Sidestepping the larger question, he simply said "No honey, remember that Elsa is already ten and she has a big head start on you in school. You've got a lot of work ahead of you if you want to catch up to her. She is very, uh, studious. You should concentrate on yourself and learning as much as you can at your own pace."

Anna pouted a little bit, but she was also determined. Every time she had asked about her sister no one had really given her a straight answer, it was beginning to look like she was going to have to figure it out on her own. Anna remembered playing with Elsa a lot before her accident, but not much else. She certainly couldn't remember any fights or problems, but for some reason her sister hadn't visited her even once! _Did I do something wrong, maybe? I must have, because if it was her in bed I would have kept her company every day! Once I get outside I'll find out where she's staying and say sorry and then we'll play and hang out and do _everything_ with each other. Oh I can't wait!_

Anna couldn't say why it was so important to her to meet Elsa, it just was. Just like her daddy, her sister was _family_, and family was meant to be together, right? She had tried to explain it to her father once a few weeks ago, but he just smiled and said that the two of them were enough to be a family. Which didn't make much sense in Anna's mind, but maybe he had a reason. All the same, Anna _knew_ that Elsa was her best friend in the whole world. Her memory of the last three years was almost a complete blank, but alone with her in that void was a presence. It was a vague feeling, and thinking about it was like trying to catch her steamed breath in a bottle, but Anna was somehow _sure_ that the presence was Elsa.

Even now, Anna occasionally woke up with sharp pains and cramps in her recovering body, but her mental Elsa was always there to comfort her and bring her strength. It had felt like there was a passenger in her head, someone that knew her deepest self without reservation, and loved her for it. Of course now it was only a memory, but something that strong didn't fade easily. _I need to find Elsa. She'll be able to tell me what this is. Daddy wouldn't understand, he doesn't have a sister._

With a start Anna realized that her dad had asked her a question. "Huh? Oh, have the tutors come here for this week? Welllll… if you say so, daddy. Ok, I'll start learning." In truth, Anna actually _was_ kind of excited to start school, especially now that she had the idea in her head of getting closer to Elsa through it. But she could hardly say that out loud!

The king smiled and stood up. "Great! I'll make the arrangements today. Once you're able to walk more easily I'll move them to the master library, but for now you might as well get a head start! Which is exactly what _I_ need to do before more of the day goes by." He beamed down at his daughter and put a hand on her shoulder. "I would stay with you all day if I could, honey, but your daddy has a lot of work that only he can do. I should be back in the evening to say goodnight, be good until then!" And then to Gerda he said, "Oh, and in case I forget. Once she starts leaving the room she is allowed anywhere she likes that doesn't require stairs to reach, except the west wing. That is forbidden."

Once he had left Anna immediately had a hundred questions for her nurse that she tried to ask all at once, but the old matron silenced her with a raised hand. "You heard your father. First of all we're not going anywhere for a week. And you can forget about leaving without me, the guard outside won't allow it. Secondly, turn over so that I can run down your legs. We don't want any cramps when the tutors get here, now do we? And finally," she smiled sadly down at the inquisitive little princess, "you'll find out about the west wing in time. Why, there are so many other rooms in the castle that you won't even have time to think about it. The library alone has enough books in it to last a lifetime, with shelves that stretch to the ceiling and plenty of comfy chairs where I can read to you." But no matter how much Gerda rambled on, Anna couldn't stop thinking about the forbidden wing and wondering what was in it.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: The Door**

Anna scampered down the stairs and ran out into the gardens, laughing with delight. It had finally stopped raining! The sun was shining down on the world, and every still-wet leaf and flower was shimmering brightly in a reflection of her own happiness. She had been shut indoors for the last week, or close to it, and she was determined to make up for lost time. The royal gardens were one of Anna's favorite places in the whole castle, especially in spring. It seemed like every time she visited there would be a new flower or bush blooming that she hadn't seen the day before, each one more radiant than the last.

Anna came to a halt in a small cul-de-sac ringed with tall hedges that created a surprising amount of privacy. In the middle of the circle was a cluster of white rose bushes, and Anna felt her breath catch. _Oh my gods, they're beautiful._ Her hands ran over the pristine blossoms in awe. _But why here? Why is such a pretty plant hidden away in this tiny corner of the garden?_ She looked around, but there was little else in the secluded hideaway, not even a bench to sit on. The keep rose above the shrubbery walls to the south, but only a small number of windows were positioned to look down on the hidden grove.

Suddenly Anna spotted someone standing up against one of the visible windows, and her thoughts changed immediately when she recognized who it must be. "_ELSA!_" She called out and waved, but to no avail. Elsa might have looked down for a moment, Anna couldn't really be sure, but she disappeared completely from view a second later. _Damnit. That would have been a perfect opportunity to finally meet her. Did she see me and leave on purpose I wonder?_ That thought put a momentary damper on Anna's mood, but soon she perked back up. _Wait, this is exactly what I've been looking for!_

She retraced her steps back to the edge of the gardens and looked up. Yes, the window Elsa had been in was _that_ one, and the rest of them were probably all part of the west wing too. _There!_ One of the rooms closer to the middle of the castle had a balcony. And only a few feet away was the long, sweeping outdoor terrace that went all the way across the center section and bridged the east and west wings. Anna already had a plan in place to get that far, it was simple enough to exit a third floor window and slip off the roof onto the second floor terrace. But she hadn't really known enough about the west wing to go farther until today.

The first floor on that side was all servants' quarters, and didn't connect to anything above. And the interior entrances were all guarded day and night by her father's men. However, this balcony leaned in very close to the terrace, and Anna judged it to be close enough for even a young princess to reach across. _The windows on the balcony itself probably have locks though. I wonder if I can get any further along? There! _She was in luck, the finishing was very ornate around the balcony and there appeared to be a relatively wide sill that extended from the western edge of the balcony onward for a few rooms until it hit a turn in the wall. She could definitely scoot along that and get to the next window over, which wouldn't have a lock.

It was a bit high up though, and Anna swallowed while thinking about being out on the edge with nothing to hold onto. _Hey, pull yourself together, girl! So what if it's a bit of a drop. You've been trying to get in to see Elsa for two years now. This is nothing for you._ Satisfied, she glanced up one more time before reentering the keep with a freshly determined air about her.

Anna rolled her eyes as Gerda fussed over her with a knotted string, it felt like she was going back over the same places three times over! "Come on, Gerda! It's not like I need new clothes anyway, I think the old ones are fine." Gerda merely raised an eyebrow as she poked a finger through a split seam on the dress Anna was wearing. Anna blushed, "Ok so maybe not this one. But they don't _all_ have holes, and I only need one outfit for my birthday."

"Child, there's not a thing left in that closet that isn't faded or run into the ground, and they barely fit you anymore besides. You might have started out small a few years ago, but you're catching up faster than I can hardly believe. And the king has personally commissioned a _full_ overhaul of your wardrobe for your birthday next week, there's no use fighting it. It's high time that you looked like a proper lady, in a few years you'll be almost a woman grown."

Anna stuck out her tongue at that and started trying to think up a way to keep her favorite dresses and skirts from being thrown out. From the sound of it, if she didn't there would be nothing but lace and frills waiting for her in the morning, _yuck_. Well, maybe a few new things would be fine. Especially if her plan tonight worked, she was going to need a _super_ pretty dress for her birthday party. Which reminded her, "You talked with daddy? How did he look, do you think he'll be able to make it to my party? Is he doing any better?" There was a slight quiver to her voice as she looked to Gerda.

"Oh certainly, little princess. Don't you worry about the king. The doctors have been in there with him every day, and you know they can fix anything. He'll be right as rain for your party and he wouldn't miss it for the world." Gerda looked confident, but Anna wasn't so sure. Her father had been getting steadily weaker for most of a year now, for no apparent reason. It seemed like every time she saw him he was thinner, despite his best efforts to hide it.

Finally Gerda was done and Anna dashed off to the library to meet her writing tutor. Anna knew that she wasn't the best student, but she was determined to try as hard as she possibly could to learn fast. In the last two years she had covered an immense amount of material, but far higher mountains remained ahead of her to climb. _And Elsa will be waiting at the top of one of them, if I can keep going._ Anna had surreptitiously felt out her tutors for information about her sister, but she hadn't gotten much. Elsa was so far ahead in most subjects that most of them just told her to focus on the basics and not to worry about the advanced concepts yet. She _had_ found out that although Elsa was fairly studious, she almost never spoke with most of the teachers, preferring to simply hand back completed work and leave with a new assignment.

Anna herself needed the complete opposite, some of her subjects were nigh incomprehensible until the tutor had guided Anna through every detail, twice. Especially_ grammar._ Whoever had invented that seemingly endless set of rules and exceptions to rules needed to be locked up for insanity! Even math wasn't as bad as that, if she put in the time needed to memorize the fundamentals she could work her way through it eventually. Lost in thought, Anna almost ran straight into the black-robed tutor as she slipped through the library door. "Oops! There you are, highness. I was beginning to think you were going to go missing today." He smiled gently at her quick denial of attempted truancy. "It's ok, calm down, little one. You're here now, so let's get started. Now, where's your assignment from last week."

Anna watched the full moon rise past her window, and waited for it to touch the top of the frame. Finally, when only the smallest sliver remained, she judged that it was late enough to get going. Clad in her nightgown, she slid out of bed and put on her softest slippers. The hall outside her bedroom was deserted, and she saw not a soul on the way upstairs. She entered an unoccupied room on the back side of the keep and opened a window that led out to the sloping roof. A soft spring breeze blew into the opening and Anna took a deep breath. _This is it._ She thought as she stepped carefully out into the night air.

Getting to and across the center terrace went just as smoothly as Anna had hoped. The jump to the balcony was another story. Refusing to look down, Anna had balanced on the railing and tried to reach across the gap, but she couldn't quite reach. Without any other option, she gathered herself and _jumped_ as far as she could. "_Ouch!_" Anna bit back a yell as she landed with a crash on the other side. It hadn't been as far away as it seemed, and one of her knees had gotten scraped in the awkward landing. Upon closer inspection it didn't seem to be bleeding very badly, and Anna brushed herself off to continue.

She was about to attempt to slide along the stone trimming to the next room when unexpected movement on the other side of the balcony's windows caught her eye. There was someone entering the dark room. _Oh no! Did they hear me jump? No, no no no! This can't be happening! Everyone was supposed to be asleep, it isn't _fair_!_ She blinked back tears of frustration as she ducked out of sight of the exposed window, hoping frantically that she had hidden in time.

Her heart sank when the latch started to rattle and turn. She had gotten so close, and now everything would all be for naught after the guard sent her back to her room. But then, her discoverer stepped out into the moonlight. Anna's heart immediately reversed course and leapt to her throat. "Hello, is anyone out there?" The speaker was a tall, slim blonde girl with the most beautiful blue eyes Anna had ever seen. Her hair shined silver in the moonlight. She was dressed oddly for the weather with long gloves and socks covering every inch of skin that a modest nightdress didn't reach, but Anna hardly noticed.

"_ELSA!_" She cried with delight and launched herself at her sister's midsection for a hug.

"_Wha-aah!_" Elsa stumbled backwards in confusion and Anna missed her target. The two girls crashed into each other and tumbled to the ground. Anna tried to stammer out an apology, and Elsa finally realized who had assaulted her. Her reaction wasn't exactly what Anna expected. "Anna? No, _oh no!"_ and Elsa turned and tried to run out of the room.

"_Wait!_ Elsa, please!" Anna reached out and caught one of Elsa's hands before she could escape. She didn't have a good grasp, and the glove started to get left behind while Elsa slipped away. But her sister froze completely the moment she felt Anna's touch and she stared silently back at the tenuous connection between them, her mind racing. Anna spoke again, "Elsa, it's me, Anna. Your sister. Please, can we talk?"

Elsa relaxed a tiny fraction, but her whole body was still poised for flight. She swallowed, gathering her words. When she spoke, her voice was soft and quavering. "I know. I know. But what are you doing, Anna? You're not supposed to be here. You should go back to your room. It's… for the best."

Anna recoiled slightly at her sister's admonishing words. "How can you say that, Elsa? We haven't talked in _years_. Not even once. I snuck over to see you, to try to break the silence and get some answers. For gods' sake, you _never_ leave this hall. It's like you're a prisoner in our own house. No one will even talk to me about you, they try to pretend you don't exist. But I remember, I know you exist. All I want is for us to be friends, to play again like we used to a long time ago."

Elsa softened a bit at Anna's confession. Involuntarily she squeezed Anna's still extended hand in reassurance. But she didn't step any closer and she chose her words carefully. "Anna." She began, "_I want so bad-_ I mean, we can't be. You don't understand now, but maybe when you're older I'll be able to tell you." She raised her free hand to wipe across her eyes. "Just, one thing, before I go. It's not you. It's me. It's always been my fault. And I can't change that yet. I can't stop it. _I can't._" She pulled free of Anna's grasp and her forced smile was the saddest thing that Anna had ever seen.

Anna didn't move at first when Elsa began walking to the door. But as Elsa reached for the handle, she suddenly called out, "Elsa! My birthday. It's next week. We're having a party. I- I want you to come." Her eyes were pleading as Elsa paused and looked back. An almost endless moment stretched between them. But then Elsa shook her head and a second later she was gone. All Anna could do was fall to her knees and sob quietly, alone in the moonlit room.

Much later, she had somehow managed to retrace her steps without getting caught, and Anna sunk into the warm embrace of her bed, but there was no comfort in it. _It wasn't supposed to be like that. Why? Why can't she let me in? I'm her sister! I just don't understand what's going on._ The impossible had come true, she had met Elsa face to face. She had finally engineered the reunion that everyone else in the castle had thwarted for so long. That was supposed to be the hard part! But everything had gone wrong, and Anna was at a loss to explain it. _Maybe I did something to make her hate me? Maybe…_ Sleep was a long time coming, as Anna wrestled with what had happened deep into the night.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: The Party**

Anna quietly raised her arms to help Gerda lace up her party dress, but her mind was turbulent. Her birthday had finally arrived, but so much was still up in the air. Anna herself was still holding out a slim hope that Elsa would make an appearance. Gerda had dutifully delivered an invitation to her sister's rooms, but Elsa hadn't opened it in the maid's presence or given her a reply. Her father, on the other hand, seemed determined to make an appearance no matter how poor his condition. _Ok girl, focus. You've done all you can in both cases, it's time to stop worrying. Put on a happy face and keep your chin up._

"_Wow!_" Anna's jaw dropped when she stepped out of the north hall and into the gardens. The royal gardeners had been hard at work shaping their domain to celebrate the princess's ninth birthday, and the results were breathtaking. Flowers of all shapes and sizes from lands near and far dominated the landscape. Their brilliant bursts of color extended in every direction and painted the grounds like a rainbow. Laughing with delight she ran out into the sun to take everything in. Gerda, Kai, and the other servants followed in her wake with food and other necessities for the outdoor feast that was planned for later that afternoon.

Anna could have spent all day in the gardens, but all too soon it was time to move on to the main event. Beyond the castle grounds and small village that housed the servants' families, a great festival had been set up on the grassy fields that were enclosed by the castle's far-reaching outer walls. There were spring poles, archery butts, and even horseshoe stakes scattered around. Although most of the staff was on the older side, there were still a few peasant children that scampered around yelling and chasing each other. Livestock wandered freely between bustling goodwives and yeomen, brought in from the fields to keep an eye on them while everyone was feasting.

And what a feast it was! There were great long tables laid out next to each other, enough to sit everyone that lived within the castle walls at once, piled high with all manner of food and drink. Anna even spotted a number of freshly caught fish, a rare sight indeed since the keep usually tried to be completely self-sustaining and limited outside contact. Anna set out to explore everything, eagerly dashing this way and that to try to take it all in.

Later, when the sporting contests were winding down and the townsfolk beginning to settle in at their places on the benches for dinner, a party from the castle arrived. "_Daddy!_" Anna ran over to greet the king, who wasn't in a litter but had managed to ride over on his horse. He smiled down at his daughter, and after some help from a guard, dismounted and gave her a hug.

"There's my little girl! How do you like your birthday so far? Looks like quite the crowd is here, and I bet they're absolutely famished. Well, now that the king is here, no need to wait any longer." He pitched his voice to carry across the green field, "_Let the feast begin!_" A cheer echoed around the tables and all at once a hundred hands reached out to start devouring the magnificent spread. Anna and her father took their places at the head of the largest table, surrounded by his closest advisors and the head doctor.

It was the best birthday that Anna could remember. The food was incredible, the crowd was unbelievable, and the royal bard was filling the air with music, joyous melodies that blended with the buzz of conversation and made it greater. But there was one thing missing. Elsa hadn't come after all. Anna poked at her food and frowned. _Well, it's not like she said she would come. Exactly the opposite, in fact. And this would have been the perfect time to get her back into the family. I bet even daddy would have said yes if she had come._

"What's this?" The king looked over and noticed Anna's mood. "We can't have the birthday girl upset at her own party! Cheer up, cheer up! It's time to open presents!" _That_ brought Anna out of her reverie, and a few attendants left to go retrieve the pile of gifts that had been set aside until after dinner. Anna's eyes widened at the procession before her, _there were so many!_

Each of the king's council had a brought a present for their monarch's daughter. There were earrings and dresses, beautiful things that shone with gems and silk in the sunlight. A durable pair of leather walking boots was especially well received, and the finance minister smiled at her delight. She got a bouquet of roses from the gardeners, and the interior staff had pitched together and presented her with a wonderful chess set made of oak and marble. Anna smiled at Kai and promised to try to learn the game, he was the biggest fan among the servants and probably came up with the idea himself.

Her father had two presents for her. The first was a magnificent golden locket with a brilliant diamond shining in the center that took Anna's breath away. And when she opened it, one face had a miniature portrait of her father with a portrait of her mother mirroring it on the other side. Anna squealed with delight and threw her arms around the king, even before his other present was brought out. It was a pony, white as snow and just the right size for a nine year old to learn to ride on. The bridal and saddle were leather of the highest quality, a gift from the royal groomsmen. Anna was beside herself, _a real pony!_ She begged to be allowed to try to ride right then and there, but her father laughed and managed to convince her to wait until the next day.

The party went on all day, and not until the sun reached the horizon did it begin to wrap up. But eventually even Anna admitted that it was time to go inside. She walked back through the gardens with her father, who was moving carefully with one arm on her shoulder for support. "Anna," he said abruptly in a more serious tone than she expected. "There is something that I need to tell you. It's not what I wanted to bring up on your birthday, but time is short. To put it simply, I am going away for a time. My doctor insists that a change of climate is needed for my health, and that if I make the trip down South, I can return to my normal strength. I have been delaying him so that I could be here for your birthday, but now that's passed. I will be leaving tomorrow morning, and I am leaving you here."

Anna started to protest, but he raised his hand for quiet. "No, Anna, you're needed here. It's important that the royal family maintains a presence at home, but don't worry. My council will continue to handle most affairs, and I'm appointing the duke as regent. I don't anticipate being gone for more than a few months, or maybe less if it goes well." Anna looked up at her dad, tears in her eyes. His own eyes were tired and gaunt, and she knew that he had to go. But she couldn't bring herself to admit it just yet, and without a word she simply enveloped him in a fierce hug, her head buried in his robes.

When Anna returned to her room, the servants had already brought back her presents and put them away in her dresser and desk. She flopped onto her bed and lay there fully dressed for some time. _Daddy's never had to go away for more than a day before. And now he'll be gone for months? What am I going to do? No, it's not about me. He needs to get better, he's been looking just awful recently. It's not fair! He's not even sick, but he gets weaker and weaker no matter what they do. Well, maybe this will help. I have to be strong. I can't let him think that his leaving will make me sad._

Just then her eyes caught on something odd. There was a… package on her desk. The only light in her room came from torches at this time of night, and it was too dim to make out exactly what the rectangular box was. But it certainly wasn't one of the presents that she'd already opened. Where had it come from? Anna got up and walked over to get a closer look at the mystery item.

It was a wooden case, with a brass latch and hinges, about six inches high and about two feet on each side. There was no note on the outside, and Anna clicked it open. It was a drawing case! The interior was lined with felt, and it had two drawers that lifted up and out when the lid was opened. In one drawer was a multitude of charcoals and pencils, and the other had a variety of colored chalks. The bottom of the case was mostly filled with different colors of ink and brushes, except for one end that was lined with silverpoint pens. The lid itself had deep pockets filled with reams of paper of various sizes.

Anna was taken aback by the sheer scale of the gift. _Who could have given me such a wonderful thing? This is incredible!_ The sum total of her art experience in life so far was little more than some charcoal shading on linen paper. She hadn't even _seen_ a collection of this magnitude in one place before, let alone used most of it. Her hand traced over the creative implements in awe, not quite sure that it was all real. Then her hand stopped over the first piece of paper in the lid. There was writing on it! Swiftly she drew out the short note and read:

"_Dearest Anna,_

_Such a meager gift as this cannot fix what I have done, but maybe there is a chance that you will still find it useful. I'm sorry I can't do more. I'm sorry._

_Love, E_"

She couldn't believe it. Elsa had sent her a birthday present! _Elsa!_ Completely forgetting to keep quiet, Anna let out a scream of joy and danced around the room, still clutching the precious communication from her sister. Landing on the bed, she read the note over and over and over. _Elsa really wrote to me. She said love! She likes me! Oh gods I miss her so much._ Suddenly she was overcome with emotion and tears flowed down her cheeks, one arm across her eyes. "Oh Elsa," she spoke to herself. "I'm so happy. So happy, and yet… I want more. I want you to come down and play with me. I want you to go outside and see the sun, to sit under the stars together and watch the moon come up. Why? _Why won't you let me in?_"


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9: The Door**

All sound faded from the world. Anna stood frozen, deaf to Kai's continued commiseration. She didn't feel his hand on her shoulder, the only object in the world that she could comprehend was the crumpled note in her hands. She didn't want to see the words any more, but her brain refused to stop. Helplessly she read them over and over. _Lost, with all hands. Lost, with all hands. Lost. Her father was gone. Forever._ Slowly her senses returned. Kai gave her a reassuring squeeze, and Anna looked up at him. Her voice was soft and tinged with panic. "_What should I do now?_"

"Cry." The butler answered, with a choked voice. "You have to cry."

Tears streamed down her face. "Oh. Ha ha. Yes, it's so simple. I should have thought of that." She turned into the faithful servant's embrace and cried. Sobs wracked her body as she clutched his outer jacket with both fists, and the sounds of her sorrow echoed through the otherwise silent hall.

Elsa fell to her knees in shock, one hand catching on the nightstand to hold herself up. Her heart was pounding in her ears and her mind was still trying to catch up to what she had just heard. _Gone? Just like that? But he only left a few weeks ago._ Abruptly she noticed white tendrils of frost begin to spread across the nightstand. Her head darted back to Gerda, who was still standing in the doorway of Elsa's bedroom after delivering the news. "Th… thank you for letting me know, Gerda. That will be all, you can go now." The maid hesitated, unwilling to abandon Elsa to solitude in this moment, but Elsa raised her voice and snapped, "_I said go, Gerda. Leave. Please… that's an order._" Reluctantly the maid bowed and exited, closing the door behind her. Before she had gotten all the way down the hall, however, an anguished scream emanated from behind her. It pierced the air, carrying with it the frustrations and misery of another young girl now alone in the world.

Elsa curled up after her outburst, holding her legs close and trying to contain the pain. The room had been transformed in an instant, jagged fingers of ice radiated outward from her body like a many pointed star. The walls were covered in frost, and flakes of snow fell from the ceiling like tears. Her hair hung loosely around her face, and for a moment it looked almost pure white. Elsa's whole body was shaking, but she did not cry. _What should I do now, father? How can I survive without you to keep me from straying? How am I going to keep this secret?_

She looked up to a picture that hung on one wall. It was her favorite possession, a portrait of the king, queen, and their first child only a year after she had been born. A thin coat of ice obscured the glass covering that she had added years ago, and Elsa rose up and wiped away most of the frost with her sleeve. Her fingers gently brushed the image of her father. _And weren't we supposed to beat this together? All I wanted was to make you happy. I've been working so hard these last two years, you know. We haven't seen each other in a long time, and… now we never will. But I was trying, every day and every hour. Conceal, don't feel, don't let them know. WHY WASN'T THAT ENOUGH!?_

Anna stood in front of the gravestone, vaguely aware of the funeral service around her. A sea of black clothing had gathered on the grassy hill where both of her parents now rested. Even though it was still early in the morning, the sun had betrayed her. It beat down on the mourners without shame, unaware that today it was supposed to be hiding behind clouds. Anna closed her eyes and wavered slightly. _No!_ She admonished herself and stood a little straighter._ Today I represent the whole family, I have to be strong. Gods, why isn't Elsa here? How could she miss the funeral of her own father. I need her strength, this is too much to bear on my own._ Wiping a small tear from one eye, she focused back on the current speaker, still except for hands that she couldn't stop from shaking.

Soon Anna herself went up to give her respects to the empty grave. Kai stood by silently but with his hand gripping hers to keep her steady. Her other hand held the locket, and the precious gift was full of new meaning today. Anna had thought of so many things that she wanted to say, but in the end none of them would come out. In a small voice, all she said was, "Dad… I love you. I'll never forget you and all the time that we spent together. I… I want you to come back so badly. But you can't. And it hurts daddy. It-" suddenly she burst into tears, unable to continue. Kai ushered her back into the crowd, and commiserating hands reached out to add what meager comfort they could.

Elsa watched the mourners returning from an upper window, her thoughts wandering. She had dressed in black, even her gloves, but the funeral began and ended without her. Truthfully, she had wanted to go, but she was afraid. Afraid that her emotions would betray her, afraid that she wouldn't be able to conceal. A wry smile touched her lips. _And if this frosted glass is anything to go by, it would have happened. Now…_ She turned away from the now obscured window and left the empty room behind.

"Your highness, thank you again for meeting me, especially on a day like this." The duke tentatively extended his hand and bowed, but Elsa simply nodded instead of offering her own.

"Of course, your grace. I cannot say that my heart is happy to see anyone on the day of my father's funeral, but I understand why you wanted to meet as soon as we could. Please, sit." Elsa sat down on one side of a meeting table and gestured for the duke to do the same on the other side. The two of them were alone in one of the side parlors of the west wing. She continued, "I take it you wish to discuss the regency and rule of the kingdom?"

Flustered a bit by her unexpectedly cool demeanor, the duke nodded in response. "Yes, your highness. The king appointed me as regent, but the post was only supposed to last for a few months. While I could make the decision to continue on my own, I wish to respect the desires of the royal family and I hope that we can work together to keep this great nation on its feet. One of my-"

"Pardon me, ser, but let me get ahead of you on a few issues, if I may. Your chief concern is probably myself. We have never met, and you probably wish to know if my character is acceptable for rule." Elsa waved her hand at his polite denials, and the duke's body language showed his relief at not having to bring up the subject himself. "I am certainly young, and I readily admit that I cannot take the crown as I currently stand. However, I _have_ had some training already, and in the next few years I will be accelerating that instruction to best prepare for the day that I _do_ ascend to my father's throne. In the meantime, I want you to continue as regent, and appear as my liaison on the council. On a regular basis we will meet like this and discuss all decisions that need to be made. I want to hear the reasoning behind each decision, for my own benefit when I am queen. I must insist on retaining the right to overrule you in private, although I believe that such a need will be rare. I have reviewed your history and I can certainly see why my father chose you. I think you will find that our opinions will align quite often.

"And finally, on a different note, you might have considered approaching my sister with the same proposal. _Don't._ I realize that she is a much more public figure than myself and more well known to both the nobility and the common folk, but she is still _nine years old_. She needs to be protected and helped through this rough time, not saddled with the worries of an entire kingdom. She will remain the princess and you will funnel the necessary rulings through me."

The duke sat back, impressed, and gave a little bow in his seat as acknowledgement. "Your highness. Wow. I must admit that you have won me over. I was indeed somewhat apprehensive about the direction that I might need to go in the wake of the king's death, but I am convinced that the kingdom is in capable hands. If you don't mind, I would like to make a formal announcement that I am to be _your_ regent from this day forward, not the regent of the late king. It would go a long way towards reassuring the populace that they still have a strong ruling family to rely on in the years to come."

Elsa nodded. "That sounds perfect, ser. Was there anything else that you wanted to discuss today? I would prefer to leave anything that isn't urgent for another day."

"Yes, your highness. Just one more thing. Since this regency will continue for a lot longer than I originally intended, my- I mean- our seat on the council cannot remain vacant. If you do not intend to attend their meetings yourself, I will need to consider moving my own seat closer to the capital."

Elsa considered momentarily. "Yes, that is a problem. I won't be sitting on the council myself, so you will need to be present. Why don't you take the second royal chambers for yourself? They are close enough to the main halls and have not been used for some time. You will have space there to bring in any staff that you need, and there is even a ballroom if you need to host any events yourself."

The duke was somewhat surprised, he had clearly expected Elsa to take the lavish apartments for herself. Well, maybe he thought that she would use her father's slightly bigger accommodations regardless of the recent death. Elsa wasn't going anywhere, however, the west wing was _her_ domain and it was where she would remain until she had conquered her power. He got up and thanked her profusely for her generous offer, and he graciously accepted. Being able to use the castle's resources instead of buying or building a new manor inside the city would save him a huge amount of money and allow his existing estates to continue operating without interruption.

Elsa got up with him and they bade each other goodbye. She watched him go, satisfied with the way things had gone. The second royal chamber had been added after the rest of the castle, and it was mostly unconnected to the rest of the keep. It even had its own doors that opened directly into the parade grounds. She could keep the regent close and yet wouldn't have to worry about the duke or his secretaries discovering her secret.

Anna had stayed at her father's grave far longer than the rest of the funeral company. Finally, when the sun had already passed its zenith and begun to set, she returned to the castle alone. Still despondent, she wandered aimlessly through the gardens. It seemed to her that all the color had gone out of the world, and even the multitudes of normally vivid flowers seemed drab and lifeless. Without anywhere else to go, she returned to her rooms and spread out on the bed. Suddenly her eyes fell on the drawing case that Elsa had given her, and she snapped.

Anna threw her pillow across the room and yelled at the inanimate box. "She never once showed up! How can she dare to stay isolated even now? Damnit Elsa, I needed you there today! I need you every day. Where are you?" _But you do know where she is._ And then Anna had an idea. She jumped up, still in black, and stormed off to the west wing.

For whatever reason, the guards were gone. Maybe they were with the other mourners at supper, maybe they had been told that with the king's passing this entrance would no longer be guarded. It didn't matter to Anna, and she was grateful that she hadn't had to try to use her own meager authority to force them aside. Faced with the interior of the west wing for the first time in many years, she lost a bit of her nerve. The empty halls echoed with her footsteps as she checked each room for her sister. Anna began to feel a little scared of what she might find, and almost turned back.

Just then, like a silent ghost, Elsa exited a door towards the end of the hall. Her hair was shockingly pale against a black wardrobe that matched Anna's except with longer sleeves capped by slim gloves. The earlier anger that had driven her forgotten, an excited Anna raised her arm and called out "Elsa! I want to talk!" But Elsa herself started at the sudden interruption of her usual silence, and after a second she darted behind another door and slammed it shut.

"_Wait!_" Anna called out as she ran up to the door her sister had hidden behind. It was a bedroom door, white and painted with intricate patterns of leaves and flowers. "Elsa! Come out!" She shouted in vain at the unyielding wood. There was no response. Anna sank to her knees, arms pressed up against the door. Frustration at the continuing strange behavior of her sister boiled over into still raw emotions over the funeral, and tears fell freely onto the polished floor. "Elsa. Please. I know you're in there. I need you. I want to see you. Why can't you come out?"

Elsa sat only a few inches away, her back leaning on the closed door that still separated her from Anna. Her face was buried in her hands, and it was all she could do to not cry. She wanted so badly to throw open the door and hold her sister in her arms, to tell her that she was here and it would be all right. It physically hurt to hold back, but she had no choice. _I can't Anna. I can't see you. I'll hurt you again, and this time there's no one left to hold me back. I'm afraid of myself Anna, and there's nothing you or anyone else can do to help. I have to do this on my own. Conceal, don't feel, don't let them know._ Out loud, she finally broke her silence, even though it broke her heart to say it. "Go away, Anna."

Anna collapsed as if struck. But she didn't leave. Where else was there to go? Who else was left for her in this world? _No matter what she feels, I have to keep trying to get through this door._ "Elsa." She choked out the words through her tears. "We only have each other. What are we going to do?"


End file.
